The Reason for Resistance

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." —John 3:19

Why is it that some people never respond to the gospel? They are not necessarily mean about it, though they may be. They are simply not open to it.

Some people will say no with a smile. When you tell them all about your faith in Christ, they will say that is very nice for you. But when you ask them if they would like to become a Christian, they will decline.

Then there are others who are hostile or argumentative. They may point to a problem they have with a certain teaching of the Bible or want to know why God allows suffering. Or, they may say the Bible is full of contradictions or claim there are a lot of hypocrites in the church.

Yet I think their reason for not responding doesn't have to do with any of these things. Because the moment you start to address the actual issues with an intelligent and biblical response, they will change the subject. It is seldom about any of the issues they raise; it is simply about one thing: they want you to go away.

Jesus said, "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). The bottom line is they don't want to change. They don't want to stop doing what they know, deep down inside, is a sin before God. The bottom line is they don't want to admit their weakness and their need for God. They just don't want to believe.

So what should we do? We should pray for them. We should ask the Lord to open their eyes and help them see their need for Jesus Christ.